Phalanx, the student honor society of Rensselaer, has announced that Marianne Nyman, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been selected as the 43rd recipient of the David M. Darrin ’40 Counseling Award.
This award was established by David M. Darrin ’40 to recognize a faculty member who has made an unusual contribution in the counseling of undergraduate students. The selection of the award recipient is made by Phalanx Honor Society based on nominations received from an open solicitation to the campus. The David M. Darrin ’40 Counseling Award will be presented to Nyman at Commencement on May 28.
Marianne Nyman
In recognizing Nyman, members of the Rensselaer community described her willingness to assist students in all facets, even before they were enrolled at Rensselaer. She is always ready to help her students academically, personally, and professionally, nominators said. They also said that Nyman is known for assisting in career decisions such as internships and graduate school. The following excerpt from a nomination highlights her passion for students:
“Before I chose RPI, I called about the Environmental Engineering program and spoke with Dr. Nyman about classes and what I could expect as a student. She helped me with my decision to come to Rensselaer before I was even a student.
“She understands the needs of her students and how to make sure we succeed. I always felt like I could go to her with problems I had in any of my classes, including the classes I had with her. Any problem I had, we faced it together. I faced some difficulty with financial aid a few years ago, and consequently, didn’t know if I would be able to graduate. I went to talk to Dr. Nyman, and she reassured me that I would be able to finish. When I decided to pursue my master’s degree through the co-terminal program, she graciously offered to help me with my plan of study and actually became my graduate adviser as well.”
According to Phalanx, for the past 18 years, Nyman has been conducting environmentally focused research at Rensselaer. Her research focuses on the fate and transport of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in lakes and freshwater estuaries, and developing new and hybrid sediment remediation methods.
“We are thankful for Dr. Nyman’s continued support of students and the larger Rensselaer community,” said Hannah Trasatti, president of Phalanx. “Please join Phalanx in congratulating Dr. Nyman on this honor.”